<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Easier to Run by Kymera219</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557831">Easier to Run</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kymera219/pseuds/Kymera219'>Kymera219</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Astral Projection, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Loki &amp; Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Running Away, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:09:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>632</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26557831</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kymera219/pseuds/Kymera219</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki has a tendency to run away...from everything.</p><p>A certain inventor might change that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Loki/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Easier to Run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyGlitterPantsDragon/gifts">FluffyGlitterPantsDragon</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepoisonofgod/gifts">thepoisonofgod</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SK_Kasai/gifts">SK_Kasai</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagiri/gifts">Sagiri</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intoxic/gifts">Intoxic</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/gifts">Rabentochter</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/gifts">NamelesslyNightlock</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/gifts">STARSdidathing</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterSkullFairy/gifts">GlitterSkullFairy</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesOfMagicAndChaos/gifts">TalesOfMagicAndChaos</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagasimon/gifts">Sagasimon</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadow_eater/gifts">shadow_eater</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In the end, it was always easier to run.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Why stay for the inevitable hurt when you can just walk away? That's the logic Loki always fell back on when he ran away from something. He fled from his family, his home, from those that would capture him. Hell, he even ran away from himself half the time, if the constant refusal to drop his Æsir glamour was any indication.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But when it came to Tony Stark, Loki wasn't so sure he could run anymore.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">****************</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Reuniting with the mortal he'd once tossed out a window had been a complete accident. The Trickster had been bored out of his mind in the dungeons, so he decided to drift amongst Yggdrasil via Astral projection to see what he could find.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He hadn't expected to be drawn straight to the energy residing in Tony Stark's metal heart.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">After calming down from the unexpected intrusion,(in which,Tony did not scream like a schoolgirl, thank you very much), he surprised the mage by asking about his magic.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Noone had ever asked Loki about his magic.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">From there they developed a routine where Loki would pop into the workshop, and they'd chat about everything from Tony's latest projects to the vast array of embrassing stories about Thor that Loki had amassed over the centuries. It was by far the easiest friendship the two had every formed with a another person. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Loki wondered why he hadn't run yet.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">******************</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">One day, the mage didn't show up. Tony figured that maybe he was just preoccupied with someone in the dungeons, but as the night wore on he began to worry that something bad had happened. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Just when he was starting to panic , a blinding flash appeared, followed by something heavy crashing into his workbench. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">As Tony cautiously approached the rubble, he noticed a familiar head of black curls.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Loki?"</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">At the responding groan, Tony bent down and rolled the God over, eyes bugging out at the gruesome injury to his chest.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"What the hell happened to you?!".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"As much as I'd love to divulge that tale, Anthony, there's the rather pressing matter of my bleeding out all over your floor".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Touché"</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">*******************</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Two days later, Loki woke up to find he was bandaged up and lying in a strange bed. There was an unfamiliar weight on his side which gave him pause, before he sighed in relief at the fact it was only Anthony curled up against him. Loki reached up and ran his fingers through the inventor's hair, reveling in how soft it was. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I wish I didn't have to leave this"</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Then don't".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Tony was staring at him now, chestnut eyes swirling with too many emotions to name.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Don't you ever get tired of running?".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Yes," Loki sighed, " but at this point in my life, it is far too difficult to do anything else".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"It doesn't have to be, you could stay here....with me".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Loki looked up at him in total shock," Why on Earth would you want that?!".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"I think you know why," Tony whispered as he pressed his lips against the Góðs.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The kiss was soft, unhurried, and without a doubt the most perfect thing Loki had ever experienced. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Do you truly want this? Want me?" He asked when they finally separated.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"More than I've ever wanted anything else".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Even though your fellow Avengers might not approve?".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">"Eh, they'll get over it eventually," Tony shrugged,"even if they don't, I don't really care. I'm not in love with the Avengers".</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Loki couldn't help but pull the inventor into another kiss after that not so subtle confession. He felt a sense of contentment wash over him for the first time in his life.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Loki may not have stopped running...</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But now he had something to run to.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>